Gamers Have "The Bodies Of 60-Year Old Chain Smokers"

A university academic conducted a series of physical and psychological tests to determine whether playing on computers could be defined as a sport.

"The cyber-sportsmen had mental sharpness and psychological traits comparable to 'real' athletes, and reacted to visual stimuli almost as fast as fighter jet pilots. But their fitness levels were shockingly low and comparable to people either much younger or much older than their actual age.

One leading gamer in his twenties appeared to be slim and healthy with a physique similar to an endurance athlete. But tests revealed he in fact had the lung function and aerobic fitness of a heavy smoker in his sixties.

Dr Micklewright blamed the gaming lifestyle of spending 10 hours a day in front a computer screen and warned youngsters against such a sedentary lifestyle. He said: 'Someone of this age should be much fitter, but perhaps this is the occupational hazard of the professional gamer who can spend around 10 hours a day in front of a screen.'"

Well I know I don't >_>

I don't even have to read that link to know it's true. I have developed several issues of my own thanks to my lifestyle.

Then again one can retort, thats the risk of the job =/

Excellent. Now I can say I am training to be a jet pilot!

Not really surprising

Gaming also improves your eyesight more than carrots, and I am quoting that off an article but don't have a link to it.

I guess Jaerik is the exception to this rule. Have you seen those biceps!?

What if the gamer is in fact a 60 year old chain smoker?
Maybe these tests were on 60 year old gamers who chain smoke?

I wasn't able to sprint a single mile 4 years ago haha .

lol @ Professional gamer.

This is why you must run 4 miles a day, like Johnathan Wendel.

i thought about setting up an exercise bike in front of the computer and using my wireless keyboard to keep playing...so far no action has been taken to get this done cause i'm too busy playing.

Sounds about right..

I shouldn't admit this but more than once I've had to decide to "Camp Fafnir" or go play some basketball or a round of golf..and more times than I care to admit i've picked FF over outside activities.

Edit: I'm 26 and there is no way I resemble a 60 yr old smoker..45 maybe BUT NOT 60!

Couldn't you just do some lung exercises to improve your breathing?

Who the hell sprints for an entire mile?

Maybe all these gamers smoke the mary jane?

I can say this... I have not read the article, but I would like to know what other varibles they used other than gaming 10 hours a day? Because I believe there is alot to do with not only just those 10 hours of gaming that affect the person in the study, so to say its PURELY the gaming life style just seems to be a bit overdoing it. For example, if a person with the gaming life gets up in the morning and hits the gym for an hour at least 3 times a week, but then sits around playing games all day... they are gonna have different results then a gamer that literally sits there and does nothing even when they AREN'T gaming.

Honestly 2 hours a day maybe even 1 of exercise does miracles . Doing this from about 3 years now and I have never felt better in my life .

Ya know I had the same idea lol

LOL I couldn't run for ***before I started gaming, guess what, I can now >.>

Ugh, I am rather tired of people writing articles saying gaming is the devil.

Really last time I check the reccommendation is at least 30 min of exercise 5 times a week. Which is nothing

Black people . No racial :p . Naa but seriously one mile of a sprint shouldn't be a big of a problem man .

I wanna train to be a Jedi master

They just need to make an excersize game that doesn't fail...I blame the game developers.

Think you have a different idea of sprinting then I do. When I mean sprint I mean short races like the 1/4 mile and doing that in around 50sec. Or maybe 1/2 miles at around 2min

Last time I checked most people don't run 4-5 min miles. Hell when I was in track in HS no one actually sprinted an entire mile lol

Wii was a massive failure .

WII Fit

Even just 20 minutes a day will work.